Restaurateur Mel Funk is putting his own spin and name on a new upscale diner concept in Shops at the Fresh Market.

Funk’s Fresh Egg location in Cornelius is now FunkHeizer’s Diner, joining the recent rebrands and reopening of Funk’s other Fresh Egg locations in Mooresville and Huntersville.

FunkHeizer’s is a play on the last name of Funk and Kelly Heizer, his business partner. Funk opened the breakfast-focused Fresh Egg in Cornelius in 2018 and expanded to multiple locations.

The pivot to a diner concept came to Funk late one night during a restless sleep. By mid-morning he had written the recipes, designed a new menu and floor plan, and by the following day was ordering new signage.

“Northerners love a diner,” Funk said. “Southerners love a diner. Who doesn’t love a diner?”

Menu highlights

The backbone of the menu is breakfast, burgers, sandwiches and salads, and all are served daily from 7 a.m until 8:30 p.m.

Smash burgers are $13-$14 and appetizers are $6-$7. Sandwiches are $12-$15 and include a hot ham and cheese presser, sliced chicken presser and roast beef dip.

An extensive breakfast offering features numerous eggs Benedict for $13-$16, traditional breakfast platters for $14, omelettes $13-$14, and waffles and French toast for $10-$12.

There is also a selection of salads priced $14-$16.

Most entrees are priced $12-$18, and include blackened mahi, shrimp and grits, crab cakes, cajun chicken pasta and filet tips. The most expensive item on the menu is a $28 cast iron Delmonico ribeye.

The entrees are served 11 a.m. until closing, but Funk said many the dishes are available all day if requested by a customer.

“You want a ribeye at 7 a.m., you can have a ribeye at 7 a.m.,” Funk said.

The Reuben and the shrimp and grits are longtime favorites sticking around from the Fresh Egg menu, and Funk expects the dill deviled eggs, sriracha salmon, crab cakes and Cajun chicken pasta to develop their own cult followings.

Longtime Fresh Egg manager Charlie Marshall will continue overseeing operations at FunkHeizer’s as a managing partner in the business.

Funk also owns the Irish Cue pool hall on West Catawba, which has undergone an expansion and extensive upgrades in recent years.

He founded Fresh Chef in Cornelius in 2014 but is no longer associated with the restaurant.